Recently, I happened upon the Heineonline blog post in which the company made a rare corporate decision. Rather than charge a subscription fee for their newest collection, Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law, William S. Hein & Co., Inc. has chosen to provide free access to everyone in an effort to “help educate their communities and create an environment for open and positive dialogue.”

As February is Black History Month, Kellie and I thought it was the perfect time to share this resource with our school community.​

According to the blog post, “Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law brings together, for the first time, all known legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world, as well as materials on free African-Americans in the colonies and the U.S. before 1870. Included are every statute passed by every state and colony, all federal statutes, all reported state and federal cases on slavery, and hundreds of books and pamphlets on the subject. In total, the collection contains more than 1,000 titles and nearly 850,000 pages.”

As the Hein Company wishes to track collection usage, they are requiring people to sign in. Our username and password is listed on our database password list. Need search tips? Just check out their easy to use Quick Reference Guide or visit their help page to access training guides, videos, and more.

Kellie and I hope that you find this collection useful. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.